German wind turbine blade maker Voodin Blade Technology has announced the first-ever real installation of its wood-based blades on a wind turbine in Breuna, Germany. Source: Interesting Engineering
These 63-foot (19.3-metre) long blades are made from laminated veneer lumber (LVL). This wood-based laminate material is considered more sustainable than existing fiberglass and other synthetic composites used to make wind turbine blades.
More importantly, the blades should be easier to decommission and recycle once their lifespan expires. Since most wind turbine blades have a shelf life of around 20 to 25 years, replacing and disposing of older blades will be a big headache in the coming years.
Currently, most wind turbine blades are buried at life’s end as the material they are made of cannot be readily recycled.
For this reason, blades made from wood, like Voodin’s, could eliminate one of wind turbines’ major Achilles heel: the inherent issues of manufacturing and disposing of their blades.
To this end, Voodin’s wooden blades could be the perfect solution to bolster wind turbine technology’s claimed green credentials.
Composite materials, such as fiberglass and epoxy resin, cannot be reused, which results in wasted material after decommissioning. Wood, on the other hand, is a much more sustainable raw material.
“At the end of their lifecycle, most blades are buried in the ground or incinerated. This means that at this pace we will end up with 50 million tonnes of blade material waste by 2050. With our solution, we want to help green energy truly become as green as possible,” says Tom Siekmann, CEO at Voodin Blade Technology.
Voodin utilizes CNC milling machines that excel in creating intricate 3D shapes. As a result, the manufacturing process is highly automated, eliminating the need for molds in the production facilities. CNC milling technology also provides greater flexibility since it can be used to manufacture blades of any kind.
Increasing the level of automation reduces the need for labor in manufacturing. As a result, manufacturing is no longer necessary in countries with lower labor costs.
This could also open up the possibility of production being relocated closer to wind farms, leading to a reduction in transportation costs and emissions caused by transportation.
Wood, particularly LVL, is a highly durable material that outperforms composite materials currently used in various industries. Voodin has conducted extensive laboratory testing to guarantee the material’s ability to withstand the harshest conditions in onshore wind energy production.
“We have conducted hundreds of laboratory tests during the past two years to perfect the blade material. According to all our tests, our blades are even more durable than the existing fiberglass blades, as they show fewer fatigue characteristics and are proven to endure all kinds of onshore weather conditions extremely well,” explains Jorge Castillo, co-founder of Voodin Blade Technology.
The company has installed the first set of prototype blades on an existing wind turbine near the city of Kassel in Breuna, Germany. The next step is to build bigger 197-foot (60-metre) and 263-foot (80-metre) blades.
